[PPRAANet] Install in a new Infiniti

["Phillip H. Blanton (NØTAN)"]

I seek elmering in the fine art of custom mobile radio installation.
Anyone who is a whiz at that, and could give me tips and tricks, could
see him/herself added to my "friends" list.

I have a new (lightly used) Infiniti FX35 and would like to install my
dual-bander in there. I have two to choose from. One is a Yaesu FT7100M
and the other is an Icom IC-208H. I have remote head mounting kits for both.

I am leaning toward the IC-208H since it has a smaller head. My biggest
concern is the antenna mount. The car is sleek and sporty and I don't
want the "I AM A NERD" look. Though I am, my car is not. So, any sleek
antenna recommendations would be much appreciated. FYI: I spend most of
my time in and around the Colorado Springs / Denver corridor with
occasional jaunts to Woodland Park. Though I don't need the most
hairy-chested antenna, I still want good performance. A slight
performance trade-off is something I am willing to accept for a sleek
and stylish antenna. One of those "point source" antennas from antenna
theory class would be perfect! Those things propagate like mad, and you
don't have to worry about getting the length right. Why doesn't everyone
use those?

As far as head mounting options go; there are two places that seem like
a good fit.

1. The car's stereo system has a cassette player that is hidden behind a
hinged door in the dash and I don't give a whit about cassette tapes. I
thought maybe I could remove the cassette player and mount the radio
head in its place. I would want to make this modification though, in a
manner that is somewhat reversible in order to preserve the resale
value. Maybe replace the cassette player with some sort of wallet
compartment?

2. The ash tray. The car has an ash tray. Weird huh? The Ask tray is
hidden, but swivels out to reveal what may be the perfect mounting spot
for the IC-208H's head. It would require removing the pop-out ash tray
and the cigarette lighter, and fabricating a mounting plate. But in my
not so humble opinion, it'd be a sweet place to have a Ham radio head
mounted. I did some preliminary measuring and it seems like it will fit
in there perfectly.

Here are some pics...

Dashboard Console
http://alilimbali.com/HamRadio/CIMG1542.jpg

Cassette Player
http://alilimbali.com/HamRadio/CIMG1541.jpg

Ash Tray
http://alilimbali.com/HamRadio/CIMG1543.jpg
http://alilimbali.com/HamRadio/CIMG1544.jpg

--
With Regards,

Phillip H. Blanton (NØTAN)
phillip at n0tan.com
http://www.n0tan.com
Phone : 719.266.2387
Mobile: 719.244.5729
Skype : pblanton